Where do the recordings come from?They come from three major collections: the School of Scottish Studies Archives (University of Edinburgh); BBC Scotland; and the National Trust for Scotland's Canna Collection.

How were the recordings selected for the website?The recordings were selected by the collection holders.

There is a recording I really like. Can I download it?The downloading of these audio recordings is not allowed as it breaches the website's copyright rules. You can however bookmark recordings. For more detailed information please read the Terms of Use and Copyright sections.

Can I get a copy of a recording?Any requests for copies of School of Scottish Studies material should be made directly to the School of Scottish Studies Archives. Copies of the BBC and National Trust for Scotland materials are not available.

Will more materials be added to what is available here?More items are currently being added so it's a good idea to visit the website regularly to find new items.

I think there may be recordings of a relative of mine on the website. How do I find these recordings?You can enter the name of the person you are looking for in the 'Search' box on the home page, making sure that you use double quotes at the start and end of the name e.g. "Murdo Nicolson". If you then click on the search arrow/button you will be taken to 'Search Results' where you should see a list of items where 'Murdo Nicolson' appears as an exact phrase. If you click on the summary title of an item this will take you to the full record. If 'Murdo Nicolson' appears as a contributor or reporter you can click on the name to get biographical information about them. If the information matches the person you're looking for you can click on the link 'Find all tracks listing this person as a contributor or reporter' to see all audio recordings associated with them.

There aren't as many recordings of my relative as I would have expected on the website. Why is this?Recordings are catalogued on a tape-by-tape basis and perhaps not all of the tapes on which your relative appears have been catalogued yet, or there may be further permissions relating to tapes which have not yet been cleared.

What if there are details on the website about my relative which are incorrect?Contact us to provide accurate details and we will change the record. Likewise, if there are further details you wish to provide, contact us and we will aim to update the record as soon as possible.

Why are old county boundaries used on the website?These county boundaries remained constant from 1890 to 1974 while the county boundaries have changed two or three times since then. These boundaries are also used on websites for other data collections, such as the Statistical Account for Scotland.

When I click on a county on the map I get a list of recordings for that county but there is not an option to select parishes. How can I find parishes and recordings relating to them?Click on the link below the map entitled 'List of Parishes & Associated Recordings'. You will then see a list of parishes, listed in alphabetical order. If you click on the name of a parish you will then see a list of recordings relating to that parish.

Are biographies available for all contributors?Due to the volume of recordings and time constraints only basic biographical information has been included although we have sometimes provided links to other sites where more information can be found. In some cases we have very little information and for some none was provided. We hope to add more information in the future.

In the Gaelic version of the website, some summary titles and summaries appear in English. Why is this?There are no Gaelic summaries for items recorded in Scots or English and therefore the English text appears by default.

In the Gaelic version of the website, some surnames of Gaelic speakers appear in English. Why is this?In some of the original collections, at a time when Gaelic surnames were less commonly used, names of contributors were often noted in English. Where there is uncertainty about the Gaelic name used by an individual, it has been left in English. If you can supply further information, please contact us.